


Family Portraits and Skeletal Shadows

by Selan (Fierystorm22)



Series: The Deathening [2]
Category: Naruto
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-25
Updated: 2017-10-19
Packaged: 2019-01-05 06:11:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,136
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12184473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fierystorm22/pseuds/Selan
Summary: Orphaned young, Selehevi Waenshoare fights against her fate, and works toward finding the truth about her family's heritage. Secrets, lies, betrayals, and dangers lie in her father's past, and she intends to find out why. Contracted to the Uchiha Clan, she fights hard against that, after learning there was a secret contract betrothing her to the Clan's young heir, Sasuke Uchiha. Sasuke's involvement in her life seems to drag her deeper into the deception her family caused. And she has no idea what skeletons lie in the shadows.





	1. Dollhouse

No one ever listens, this wallpaper glistens  
Don't let them see what goes down in the kitchen.  
  
Places, places, get in your places  
Throw on your dress and put on your doll faces.  
Everyone thinks that we're perfect  
Please don't let them look through the curtains.  
  
Picture, picture, smile for the picture  
Pose with your brother, won't you be a good sister?  
Everyone thinks that we're perfect  
Please don't let them look through the curtains.  
  
D-O-L-L-H-O-U-S-E  
I see things that nobody else sees.  
(D-O-L-L-H-O-U-S-E  
I see things that nobody else sees)  
  


 

 

 

Seruiave grinned, looking back at me as she ran further ahead. “Nah, nah! You can't catch me! Hahaha!”

“Yes, I will! I'll get you!” I pumped my legs to go faster, than glanced upward. I actually was _not_ out to get Seru, but she thought I was. Seiva was actually after her, and I was drawing attention away from Sei so she could drop down on her from above. If I'd really wanted to catch her, I would've already. She was much slower on land than I was.

Sei was jumping from tree to tree, getting ready to drop down, probably looking for a vine or something to help her down.

Seru made it about ten more feet before Sei popped out from inside the closest tree, right beside her. Seru's attention was drawn to that tree, and she screamed—right before Seru tagged her.

“You're it!” she sang, melting back into the tree.

She turned to look at me, and I turned and darted of into the closest bush. “You won't get me!”

“Oh, I'll get you, alright!” I heard her footsteps approaching quickly, and ducked behind another bush, blending in.

Seru ran right past me, and I covered my mouth to keep from giggling.

I waited a few more minutes before darting out from inside the bush, back toward the path. Fighting the urge to giggle, I kept going on toward the path. Once I reached it, I paused, looking around quickly. For a moment, I couldn't decide where I wanted to go. If I stayed on the path, I'd be easily and quickly found. So, after a brief moment, I decided to go toward the east. I'd never gone that way before.

The east led into thicker brush, more trees, and tall grasses I was hesitant to go in. The grasses were higher than I was tall, and it compelled me forward. “She'd never find me in here,” I whispered softly, slipping in between the tall grasses. It was kinda dark in the tall grasses, but I was certain Seru would never find me here. So I kept moving forward, slowly. Carefully. My bare feet barely made any sound on the warm, uneven, slightly sharp ground. I brushed aside thickets of grass, bush, and prickly plants.

Brushing against one particularly spiky plant, I winced, drawing a sharp breath—and it was with that breath that I could taste water. Pure, clean, lively water. Though I wasn't sure where that smell was coming from. Closing my eyes, I focused entirely on sound, trying to hear where the smell and taste of water was coming from. Very faintly, I could hear the sound of running water. Glancing backward, I took off running toward the sound. I knew there were rivers and ponds and creaks in the forest, so I assumed this was one of them.

A little further. The smell was getting stronger. So was the sound. I could taste it. The brush was getting thicker, the grasses longer, and I came to what seemed like a solid wall of trees. Thick, colorful, leafy trees. About a foot or two apart, at most. I went to the largest gap, fighting through the prickly bushes, wincing as I got scratched several times. The brush was thick and deep, and I wondered if I'd ever get through it, but I could smell the water strongly.

A thick, prickly vine wrapped around my ankle, and I winced, looking back at it as I yanked, then yanked again, and once more—the force threw me off balance, and I fell forward, straight into a patch of sweet-smelling flowers. I took a moment there, gasping, to regain my breath. Then I slowly pushed myself up into a sitting position, and realized I was out of the thicket and within a large, round clearing. The sound and taste of clear, pure, running water was very strong, and I could finally see why. There, a few dozen feet in front of me, was a huge, tall waterfall. It fell to crash into a huge, round, deep pond.

For a moment, it was so beautiful, it stole my breath. The bottom of the waterfall was misty from the spray of the falling water. Up high, there was a rainbow reflected off the water droplets of the waterfall. Around the edges of the pond, in the more shallow water, were water flowers, lilies, pads, and flowers circling the shore. Beautiful, colorful flowers. Turning to look behind me, I could see the trees around the clearing. The trees varied in beauty, but the most amazing thing was the huge fruit hanging from several of them. Others had smaller, less noticeable but still visible fruit dangling from their branches. Colorful fruits, most I didn't know the names of.

They looked delicious, the giant fruits.

The waterfall itself had to be hundreds of feet high. It seemed to fall off the edge of a cliff. Part of me wanted to climb it. Part of me wanted to get as far away from it as possible.

I edged closer to the pond, until I was right at the shoreline, and dipped my fingertips in. Just my fingertips. “I-it's cold!” I stammered, snapping my hand back.

“It's pretty here, huh?” I heard to my left.

Jolting, I turned toward the voice, raising my hands in a defensive position.

A few feet away from me, hidden from my original position by a huge rock at the shore, sat a boy. His legs were dangling in the pond, and he was smiling up at me. He had black, messy hair, and black, tilted eyes. “Hey, you must be Selehevi, right? I saw a picture of you!”

I tensed, backing away, eyes narrowing. “What makes you think that?”

He pulled his legs from the water and stood, then bowed. “My family and I were invited by your family. I was told there's some sort of party tonight.”

I tensed even more, then sighed. “Yes, that is correct. Later this afternoon, there is a carnival celebrating mine and my sisters' birth, then there's the . . . _ball._ ” I practically spat the word. I hated Mother's elaborate balls.

“That's right. Your mother told me you three are triplets.” He smiled. “Where are the other two?”

“Wait, if you were invited,” I squinted at him, studying his features, “that must mean you're a noble, and I know all the nobles, but I don't . . . I don't know you.”

He smiled slightly. “I'm the younger heir to the Uchiha Clan.”

“I don't know what that means.”

His eyes widened, the smile slipped. “You don't know the Uchiha Clan?”

I shook my head. “No.”

“I thought everyone knew about my Clan. The Uchiha Clan is from Konohagakure. The Village Hidden in The Leaves.”

I blinked. I didn't recognize that term. “I still don't know what you're talking about.”

He blinked again. “They haven't taught you about other villages? I knew about Hoshigakure before coming here.”

“No, we haven't been taught about other villages. I'm sorry.” I tilted my head. “You know my name. What's yours?”

“Oh! I'm Sasuke. Uchiha, Sasuke!” He smiled again. “And you, you're Selehevi Waenshoare. Right?”

I nodded. “Yes. That's me.”

“Where are your sisters?”

I gestured back the way I'd come. “They're back that way. We're playing a game of tag. Seru is it right now.”

“Seru? Seruiave?”

I nodded. “Yes.”

“And then there's Seiva, right?”

I nodded again. “Yes. Sei is the oldest. Then Seru, and then me.”

He looked out toward the water, a thoughtful look on his face. “And your brother, Voeli. He's about my brother's age, isn't he?”

“I don't know,” I countered. “How old is your brother?”

“He's ten.”

I nodded. “My brother is twelve.” I studied him again. “How old are you?”

“I'm five. The same age as you, right?”

Once more, I nodded. “Yes. My sisters and I are five. Well, except Kadra. She's seven.”

“That's a lot of sisters. . . .”

“Yea. Hey, is there anyone else coming to the ball?” I looked over at him.

A nod. “Yea. My family was invited personally, but your brother went through the village and invited others, too. And he told us other villages would be invited.”

I chewed my lower lip. “Why would Mama and Papa invite so many people? What could possibly make it necessary for so many people to be here?”

“I didn't ask,” he told me, grinning. “I just really thought it would be cool to see another village.”

I smiled at that, realizing this boy knew nothing about my village. “You know, since you're new to the village, I can give you a tour. Show you the best places to hang out.”

He looked out toward the waterfall. “Like this place? I really like this place.”

I followed his gaze, smiling slightly. “Yea, I like it here, too. I've never seen it before today.”

“Yea? I just followed the sound of running water.”

“So did I.” I glanced at him. “I can show you my secret room.”

He gave me a curious look. “Secret room?”

I nodded. “Yea. Papa built it for when my sisters and I want to avoid one of Mama's balls.” Then I hesitated. “But Papa made me promise to come to this one, so we can't hide out in there tonight. Besides, if fwe did that, we'd miss all the rides and the carnival.”

He grinned. “I didn't know there would be rides. What kind of rides?”

“Lots of different kinds of rides. I like the ones that spin.”

“My brother and I used to ride the Ferris Wheel when I was younger. Will that be there?”

I winced, looking down. “Yea, that's there. I've never been on that.”

“You should. It's really fun.”

I winced again. “It's really scary.”

He looked over at me. “No, it's not. It's a lot of fun. I'll go on it with you, if you want.” He smiled then. “I'm currently being trained as a Ninja, so if anything goes wrong, I can save you!”

I gave him a look at that. “I start training after tonight. Mama and Papa wanted to wait until our fifth birthday to start training us.”

“I started weapons training on my fifth birthday. I was so excited.”

“When was your birthday?”

“Oh, three months ago.”

“So you're only three months older than I am.” Clapping my hands together, I stood, sighing. “Come on, I'll show you the secret room!”

 

 

“So how does this work?” Sasuke asked, looking around my room with shining, curious eyes. “And I like your room, by the way!”

Black walls with starstones embedded in them, black, four-poster bed with a black, gauzy curtain with silvery-white gleaming dots, and black, thick, plushy carpeting, along with a black armoire made up my room. The ceiling was also black with starstones embedded in them. “Thanks. Papa designed our rooms so that they reflected who we are inside.” I made my way to the far left corner of my room, knelt, and touched the specific starstone embedded on the bottom of the wall, running my Chakra through it, to the four connected starstones in the correct order.

A square roughly about two feet by two feet slid into the down, then over, revealing the opening to the secret room. “Just climb down the ladder.” I climbed down into the small opening, down the ladder attached to the far wall. The climb was about twenty feet or so, and I could see him climbing down above me, before the opening closed up. In the absolute darkness, the starstones began to glow, giving plenty of light to us as we continued the descent.

My foot touched the plush, carpeted floor, and I backed away from the ladder, turning away to flick the lightswitch on. The secret room was filled with books, training equipment, clothes, and three bunk beds—essentially making six beds altogether. It also had a radio we could use for music, and studying material, plus writing material. And a bathroom, with a mini hot spring, steam shower, and spa bathtub. I liked the secret hidden room.

Sasuke's voice came from behind me. “Whoa! Th-this is awesome! I wish I had a secret room under my bedroom!”

I smiled, turning to look at him. “It's really cool, isn't it?”

“What kind of books are in here?” He went immediately to the bookshelf, kneeling to look at the titles. “I like this one,” he said softly, touching one of the books. He stood, turning to look at me, tilting his head as he studied me. “Do you . . . remember me . . . at all?”

I blinked. “What are you talking about?”

“We've . . . we've met before. A long time ago. I think only the once. At least, it's the only time I remember. We were about three, I think.” His face suddenly flushed. “I don't . . . remember much, but I remember we napped together.”

I studied him then, and realized that, yes, he did look familiar, though I couldn't place why. “You . . . _do_ seem familiar, but I don't really remember it.”

He looked down at that, face still a little red. “Oh. Well, uh. I, uh, I remember you.”

“Well,” I smiled, “no offense, but I'd be hard to forget. I mean, how often do you see someone who looks like me?”

He looked up at that, eyes wide, smile gone. His face was still red. “What do you mean by that?”

I looked down at myself. “I'm kinda strange-looking.”

He blinked. “I-I don't think so! I think you're . . . cool.”

I had white hair, white eyes, pure white skin, and sharp fangs. The most color in my face was in my crimson lips, and dark, thick, black lashes. Other than that, I was pure white. “I'm awesome,” I agreed, “but I still don't look like normal people do.”

He shrugged. “You stand out. I think that's cool.”

“Not many people do,” I said, sighing. “Even my own people think I'm strange. I mean, I get it, I look weird, so I don't take it personally. It really just means I'm really, _really_ hard to forget.” I grinned then. “I like being hard to forget.”

 

"Well," he said, looking at me, face getting red again, "I don't think I'll be forgetting you any time soon."

I smiled, opened my mouth to say something, and, "Selehevi, it's time to get going. The carnival's starting." I tilted my head back, looking up through the opening in the ceiling, where Papa was leaning into. "Come on. Everyone's waiting!"

I nodded. "I guess, I guess it's time to go."

Sasuke grinned. "So will you?"

I tilted my head. "Will I what?"

"Go on the Ferris Wheel with me? I promise to keep you safe."

I hesitated. "I-d-do-I'll, uh, I'll think about it. O-okay?"

A nod, then a grin, and he walked toward me, grabbing my hand. "I'll keep you safe. Really." 

I turned away, toward the ladder, and climbed back up. Once Sasuke was out, and the opening closed, Papa led us out the giant, black double doors to the long hall. There were dozens of doors that led to bedrooms in this hall, and I heard myself asking, "Hey, Sasuke, have you been shown what room you'll be staying in?"

"Oh, well-!"

"Actually, Sasuke will be staying in your room with you." Papa glanced back at me. "I hope you don't mind."

I smiled slightly. "No, I guess that's okay. I can show him the movies I have."

He nodded. "That sounds like it could be fun." A few seconds of silence as he led us toward the double glass and gilt doors that led to the balcony in the entrance hall. When he reached it, he glanced back at us. "So, Seleh, are you ready for tonight? It's going to be a big night."

"I know. It's our birthday!"

He smiled back at us, then glanced at Sasuke, and his smile wavered a bit. "Yea. I won't be able to attend, Seleh, so I wanted to say happy birthday now, before you guys all leave." He stopped at the door. "And Sasuke, I'd appreciate it, if you didn't mention that I was here." He grinned then, in a conspiratorial way. "I was supposed to have already been gone by now."

Sasuke nodded. "I promise, I won't say anything!"

He grinned. "Good boy. Thank you. I can't go any further than this, so you guys go on down. The other kids are waiting." He turned back toward his and Mama's room, disappearing inside. 

"Papa!" I went to his door, raised my hand to knock, and hesitated. "Papa?"

Sasuke touched my shoulder lightly. "I'm sure he'll come by later. He wouldn't miss your birthday." He smiled at me when I turned toward him. "But for now, let's go have fun." 

I nodded, and followed him to the doors, and through them when he held them open for me. I went to the railing, looking over, and paused. There were dozens of kids down there, and I only recognized a few of them from my own village--and my family. Seru, Sei, and Kadra. Voeli was near the door, looking at the crowd with watchful eyes. "Seru, Sei!" 

They looked up, then grinned, and ran to the stairs as I ran down them, Sasuke following me. "You just left us! What happened? Why did you just leave!?" Sei asked, grabbing me by my shoulders. 

"Oh, I ran into Sasuke, and wanted to show him the secret room." 

"You went to the secret room without us?" Seru pouted. "You so suck."

"Oh, you'll get over it!" 

Sei suddenly glared at Sasuke. "What are you staring at?"

"Oh," Sasuke looked down, "I-I didn't mean to. I've just never seen triplets before. You guys look so much like each other!" He looked up, eyes flashing between the three of us. "I mean, besides coloring, and it looks like Selehevi is the shortest, but in black and white pictures, you wouldn't be able to tell you guys apart!"

We exchanged glances. "I don't look like her!" all three of us said at once--which, of course, immediately got us to break out in laughter.

"Enough! Jeeze, what are you, five?" I heard Kadra snarl, and I looked up to see her a few feet away, glaring at us. 

"Well, yea? Aren't they turning five today?" Sasuke asked, one brow rising.

"Go away, Kadra," Sei told her.

"Can't you be nice to us for one day out of the year? Would that kill you?" Seru asked her.

I merely remained silent, looking down at the reflective white tile floor. In the reflection, I could see Sasuke look over at me, then down at my reflected face, but he didn't say anything. Just tilted his head and looked at Kadra. 

"Hey, what's your name?" Sasuke asked suddenly, interrupting one of Kadra's long rants about how boring this carnival would be and how much more fun her birthday carnival was, and how many more friends she had than us, and how we had to get people from other villages together to come to our party.

She looked up at him then, seeming to have just seen him. She smiled. "Well, well. Hello there. I'm Kadra. Aren't you Sasuke, of the Uchiha Clan?"

He nodded. "Yes. I just wanted to know, are you always this mean?"

She jerked, eyes widening, smile faltering, and I looked up at Sasuke, my own eyes widening. "I'm not mean. Don't you have any siblings? Sisters always pick on each other."

"Well, then I wouldn't want to have sisters!" Sasuke grabbed my arm, pulling me along with him. Seru and Sei followed quickly, and I allowed him to pull me toward the front door, where my brother waited. "Oh! Hey, Nii-San!"

I followed his gaze to a taller, black-haired, black-eyed boy, with two lines down his face, hair in a ponytail. He was waving, a small smile on his face. "Hey, Nii-Chan."

"That's Itachi, my brother. Itachi," letting me go, he gestured to me, and then my sisters, "that's Selehevi, and they're Seruiave, and Seiva." 

Itachi bowed slightly. "It's nice to meet you three. It was very kind of you to invite us to your village."

"Even the Third Hokage came!" Sasuke grinned at me. "He never goes anywhere!"

"Seru, Sei, Seleh, it's time for us to get going. Are you ready?"

I nodded. "I'm ready!"

"Me too."

"Me three!"

 

 

"That's the Ferris Wheel! Come on, let's go!" Grabbing my hand again, Sasuke dragged me toward the large, glowing, spinning wheel. "Come on!"

"Sasuke, I don't know if-if I can!"

"You can, come on!" He looked back at me, grinning at me. "Don't worry, I'll protect you! I promise!" He pulled me into the line, practically dancing around on the tips of his toes, he was so excited. "I can't believe you've never been on the Ferris Wheel. What's so scary about it?" He'd turned toward me as we waited for the ride to stop.

"I-it's really . . .  _high._ "

He hesitated, eyes widening slightly. "But . . . you're gonna be a Ninja . . . aren't you?"

I nodded. "Yea. But I still hate heights." 

"But . . . you're gonna be a Ninja," he repeated. "Ninjas aren't supposed to fear anything."

"Yea? Well, I fear lots of things! Heights, water, and fish are the top of that list!" I glared at him, then looked away, sighing. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you."

"It's okay." He smiled slightly. "Besides, I-!"

"Selehevi, what in the world are you doing in this line? You're terrified of anything that goes over five feet high." 

I gulped, recognizing Kadra's voice. She was in front of Sasuke, and, as he turned, I saw her stare at him again, with a smile. "I've convinced her. I've promised I'll keep her safe."

She smiled at me, but it wasn't a nice smile. "Well, well, that's adorable. You keep little Seleh safe. Poor daddy couldn't bear to have anything happen to her." She turned away then. I let out a breath, relaxing when I realized she was going to leave us alone now. The ride had stopped, and people were leaving, as others were piling in. Kadra went in first, got onto the ride, and when it started to move, yelled out, "Wait! Wait, I-I've changed my mind. I forgot something!" The safety bar lifted, and she got out. "Sorry, I'll be back. I forgot something." She walked past me and Sasuke, smiled, and said, "Oh, by the way, have a good ride. The smallest one has to ride on the inside, don't forget!"

Sasuke, after giving me a quick look, gestured me to get into the ride first, and I hesitated, but then climbed into the cage first. He climbed in after me, and I worked on securing my seatbelt. He buckled his seatbelt, I heard it click, then he turned toward me, after the door shut. "Don't worry, it'll be fun." 

I looked up, noticing that we were basically in a giant cage. "I don't like this. This is the kind of Ferris Wheel that goes upside down, isn't it?"

"It can, if you want it to, but," he smiled, "I promise I won't make it go upside down! It'll tilt as it goes around, but you have to tilt it using the safety bar, and I won't do that. Not until you trust me, and this ride, more!" Then he grinned. "But it is fun, when it goes upside down."

"I-it ti-tilts?"

"Not a lot, don't worry! Plus, the seat belts are there to keep you safe."

I glanced at the door on my side. "I'm not so sure about this." 

The cage jerked into movement, and I closed my eyes, but it was only for a few seconds, before it stopped so it would load the next person. A few more times, and everything paused. 

"Don't be afraid. Open your eyes. You'll be okay!"

I shook my head. "I don't want to open my eyes." 

"It'll be okay, really!"

And the ride started to move for real this time, faster, and faster. The cage started to tilt, and I whimpered, reaching out to grab the safety bar. 

"No, d-don't!" Sasuke said quickly, but the cage jerked forward, and I jerked against my seatbelt as it tilted.

I expected to be jerked back down to the seat by the seatbelt, but instead, I continued to jerk forward. Looking down, I saw that the seatbelt had come undone--I grabbed for something, anything, reaching out to grab the door to keep from falling--and the door flew open as the car continued to rock back and forth. I screamed.

 

 


	2. Fight Song

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I felt a sinking feeling in my gut. “Oh, no. . . .”
> 
> Sasuke reached up, touching my shoulder.
> 
> “And last, but certainly not least, Selehevi Waenshoare, please join us here on stage.”
> 
> I froze, trying to swallow around the lump that had risen in my throat. A sick feeling started in my gut, and I could feel the beginning of a migraine. “I don't want to do this,” I whispered to Sasuke.
> 
> “It'll be okay.”
> 
> “Selehevi Waenshoare, please come up now.” She scanned the crowd quickly, eyes locking onto me. “Come up here.”
> 
> Moving with slow, jerky movements, I slowly made my way up toward the stage, tripping twice on my long gown. Once beside Mama, I tensely waited, still trying to swallow the lump in my throat. My heart was pounding. I could feel myself getting dizzy. No, no, no, no. Absolutely not. No. Please no.

Like a small boat  
On the ocean  
Sending big waves  
Into motion  
Like how a single word  
Can make a heart open  
I might only have one match  
But I can make an explosion  
  
And all those things I didn't say  
Wrecking balls inside my brain  
I will scream them loud tonight  
Can you hear my voice this time?  
  
This is my fight song  
Take back my life song  
Prove I'm alright song  
My power's turned on  
Starting right now I'll be strong  
I'll play my fight song  
And I don't really care if nobody else believes  
'Cause I've still got a lot of fight left in me

 

 

 

The scream tore through the air like a sharp kunai, and, at first, Sasuke thought she'd just become frightened, until the door on her side of the cage flew open. His eyes widened, and he reacted instantly, reaching out with one arm to grab her around her waist, noticing instantly that the seatbelt, which should've been secure around her waist, had come free. “Can you grab the door? I've got you, you won't fall, but someone needs to grab the door!”

Wide, frightened white eyes met his for an instant, and she glanced down at his arm around her waist. A short, quick nod, and she stretched her arm out as far as he could, fingers closing around the wire cage door. Yanking it closed, she turned her face against his shoulder, holding the door as tightly as she could.

He turned in his seat, unhooked his seatbelt with a quick movement, and reached around her with his other arm to grab the door. “Let go, I've got it, and I've got you.”

She nodded slightly, letting go of the door, and he noticed how much her hand was shaking when. After a moment's hesitation, she grabbed onto him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. “Don't let me go,” she whispered, voice shaking.

He nodded. “I won't,” he said softly. His heart was pounding, and he was clinging to her a little tighter than he meant to, but he swore to himself to keep a calm exterior. “It's okay, I've got you,” he said, reassuring himself just as much as he was reassuring her.

She clung to him tightly, breathing a little too rapidly, and he wondered if she was going to start hyperventilating. If she was going to, he needed to calm her down quickly.

“Se, hey, hey, talk to me,” he said quickly. If she started hyperventilating, and passed out, he wasn't sure he could keep her safe.

“A-about?”

“What's your favorite color?”

She mumbled something against his shoulder.

“Gotta speak up there, Se. Come on, talk to me. What's your favorite color?”

“S-silver,” she said a little louder.

“What's your favorite food?”

“St-strawberries.”

“What's your favorite ride here?”

“Music Express.”

“Mine is the Pharaoh ride.”

“I don't like that one.”

“What games do you like here?”

“I've never played any of the games.”

“We'll play some when we get off of this.”

She shuddered. “ _If_ we get off.”

“No, _when._ You're going to be okay. I promised you I'd keep you safe, didn't I?”

Another shudder, and she tightened her arms around him, a small whimper falling from her. Her breathing sped again.

“Keep talking to me. Tell me, what game do you want to try?”

She waited a few seconds before saying, “I . . . I've always wanted to try the, uh, the throwing kunai game.”

“We'll do that next. My brother is really good at that game, but I've never tried it before. It'll be fun!” The ride was slowing, and Sasuke swallowed his sigh of relief. “It's slowing. See? I told you, I'd keep you safe.”

She pulled away just enough to look up at him. Her wide, frightened white eyes flashed up to his. “Th-thank you. . . .”

He noticed then how badly she was trembling, and pulled her tighter to him. And his eyes fell to the door, to the latch. He noticed something sticking out from the latch. He looked down to the seatbelt then, and he wondered if there was something stuck in there, too.

The ride stopped, and the first pair was let off. Then the next, and the next, and their cage finally came up. Finally letting out that sigh of relief, he let the door go, not missing the shocked and confused look of the man who operated the ride gave him. “Se, go on out, I want to look at this door.” He let her go, shot her a smile, and nudged her on her way.

The operator rushed toward them, helping Selehevi out, and saying, “What the hell happened?! How long was this door like that?!”

Sasuke moved closer to the door, studying the object stuck in the latch. “Is that . . . a throwing needle?” He picked up the seatbelt, shooting a concerned look at Se, who was currently huddled against the exit, hanging onto the fence. The seatbelt latch was bent. No wonder it hadn't connected right. “Why was this thing in operation if it's broken?” he asked in a harsh whisper, not wanting Se to know.

“It was just inspected. It was working perfectly.”

“When did it start up?”

“This was its second run.”

“So, then how . . . how did it get broken?” He glanced between the seatbelt and the latch, then shook his head. “I . . . don't understand.” He slid out of the cage.

“I'll get this looked at immediately,” the operator promised him. “The King will be very angry at me. Thank you for keeping the young princess safe.”

He nodded, smiled up at the man, and quickly went to Selehevi. “How about we go play a couple games? Relax a little, before going on anything else.”

She nodded quickly. “I'm never, ever getting on that thing again.”

He grinned at her. “Aw, come on. I kept you safe, didn't I?” Though he wasn't entirely sure he blamed her. “Let's go find that kunai game!”

“S-sound like fun.”

He reached down and grabbed her hand. “I'll win you something!”

 

 

I couldn't seem to calm my heart. I was still shaking, even when we'd managed to find the kunai game.

“How much to play?” Sasuke asked, slipping his hand into his pocket.

The gamekeeper glanced at me. “It's free. We don't charge anything for the Princess's guests.”

I glanced down at the wristband Sasuke wore. Voeli had given all the people that had come from other villages wristbands to mark them as royal guests. These people got to enjoy the carnival free. “Anyone wearing those wristbands gets to play all the games or ride all the rides for free,” I told him, pointing at the wristband.

He glanced down at the silver band he wore, then nodded. “Alright. Then I want to try!” He placed both hands eagerly on the countertop, then glanced at me. “Uh, I just started learning kunais, so I . . might not be any good, but I'll try to win something!”

I smiled. “I haven't even started with them, so just try your best!”

The gamekeeper gave him five kunai knives. “You have to pop two balloons to win a prize. Pop three, you get a medium prize. Four, you can get a large prize. And five, you can get one of those big ones up there.” He pointed to the huge ones hanging from ceiling.

Sasuke nodded. “Got it! I'll do my best.” He held the kunai lightly, studying the balloons closely. A small nod, and he changed his grip, holding it at the ready. A few seconds passed, he took a deep breath, then threw the kunai. It cut through the air quickly, and embedded itself in the wall beside a blue balloon. Letting out a deep breath, he glanced at me, picked up another kunai, and held it. Closing his eyes, he seemed to focus on the kunai in his hand. Then his eyes opened, and, after a brief hesitation, he threw it. This time, it hit the balloon, and it popped. His eyes lit up and he pumped his fist into the air. “Yes!”

“That was awesome!”

He nodded, then picked up another kunai. Closing his eyes again, he took a deep breath, holding the kunai ready. After a moment, he opened his eyes, and threw the kunai. It struck the wall beside a red balloon. Picking up another, he did te same routine, holding it, holding his breath, then throwing.The balloon was struck, popping instantly. The next kunai hit the wall. Holding the last kunai, he looked at me, smiled, then threw it. It struck a white balloon. “Yes!” he said, pumping his fist again. “Not perfect . . . but . . . pretty good. Get whatever you want.” He smiled at me.

I looked at prizes, and one caught my eye. A medium-sized silver and white fluffy teddy bear, with a dark blue ribbon around its throat and matching blue eyes. I pointed at it. “That one!”

A nod, and the gamekeeper handed me the teddy. “There you go. Enjoy the teddy bear!”

Sasuke grinned at me. “Do you want to try?” he asked. “I'll show you how to throw.”

I nodded. “Yea! Definitely!”

He pulled me closer, moving in behind me. After the gamekeeper returned the kunais, he said, “Pick one up.”

I did, and he cupped my hand in his.

“Like this,” he said, demonstrating. “Throw just like this.” He demonstrated a few times. “Like this. Yea?”

I nodded. “I-I think I've got it.”

He backed away. “Give it your best shot!”

Another nod. Like he had, I closed my eyes, feeling the kunai in my hand.

“No, wait!” He stepped up behind me suddenly, grabbing my hand. “I-I forgot to tell you, find the balance, like this.” He demonstrated again, holding the kunai on his index finger, balancing it there. “Gotta balance it first. Then you can throw it.” He backed away again.

I tried to find the balance, and after several tries, I managed to balance the kunai on my index finger. “Okay. Now?” I glanced back at him.

He nodded, grinning. “Now!”

I focused on a bright yellow balloon, figuring that one would be easier to focus on because of its brightness. After a few practice swings, I let the kunai go. It flew haphazardly through the air and bounced harmlessly off the wall. I sighed impatiently. “This is harder than it looks!”

“Try again. You can get it!”

I picked up a second kunai, balanced it for a minute or two, then threw it again. It also bounced against the wall. “Dang!”

Laughing, Sasuke moved up behind me again. “Don't get discouraged! I had problems the first time I tried, too. It's okay!” He took my hand again from behind. “Pick up the kunai. I'm going to guide your movements. Let go when I tell you. Okay?”

I nodded. “Got it.”

He guided me in a couple practice swings, and, on the third, said, “Let go!”

I let go. It sailed through, and struck a balloon, burying against the wall. “Oh. Oh! Yes!”

He laughed, then backed away. “Do it just like that, on your own this time. I'll tell you when to let go.” He moved up beside me, watching. “Go on.”

I swung, letting go when he said, “Now!” The kunai hit the wall, but it stuck in. I blew a raspberry at the aim, but happy that it stuck. “Well, that's better than nothing. Right?”

He was grinning at me. “You'll get better at it!”

I held the kunai out to him. “You throw the last one. That way we can get a prize.”

He shook his head. “I'm not worried about the prize. You can do it.”

“But-!”

“You're never gonna learn if you make me do it every time!” he told me, a stern look on his face. “You're gonna have to do it yourself!”

I sighed, looked back at the balloons, and focused on another bright yellow one. “Fine.” I practiced a couple times, then let it go. It bounced off the wall hard, coming back toward me. I gasped, backing away, tripping over my own feet.

Sasuke darted in front of me and snatched the rogue kunai from the air, then turned to grin down at me. “I told you, I'm going to keep you safe!”

I looked down at the kunai in his hand, then up at him. “Th-thanks. Again.”

He nodded, holding his hand down to me. “You can't get frustrated and throw too hard. That's what happens when you do that. You risk hurting yourself, or someone else.” He smiled. “We'll work on it again later.” Turning, he handed the kunai back to the gamekeeper, who'd crowded against the far wall when the kunai went rogue. “Thank you. We'll come back later!” He turned back to me. “Where do you want to go next? We can go on the Music Express you like so much.”

A little afraid what happened on the Ferris Wheel would happen again, I hesitated.

“Hey, it's okay. I'll check the ride before we get on to make sure it's safe. Okay?”

I nodded slightly. “O-okay.”

“Unless you'd rather go on the Carousel first?” he asked, clearly thinking I'd say no to that.

“I actually like that ride.”

He gave me a look. “What? Really?”

“I went on the Ferris Wheel for you.”

He winced slightly. “Okay. If that'll make you feel better. But you go on the Pharaoh with me after. Deal?”

I hesitated, thinking about how he'd saved me on the Ferris Wheel, and then again with the kunai, then looked up at him, eyes a little wide. “Okay. D-deal.”

He grinned, then held out his hand. “I'll keep you safe.”

Fifteen minutes later, we were first in the line to ride the Carousel, despite him shifting his weight.

“I haven't ridden this ride in forever,” he told me.

“I like this ride.”

“Why? It's boring.”

“I like horses.”

He glanced at me. “Have you ever ridden a real one?”

“Yea. We have lots of horses.”

His eyes widened. “Yea? I've never ridden a horse.”

I smiled then. “Later, I'll show you the horses. Maybe Mama will let us ride.”

“That sounds way more fun than this!”

The ride operator came over, saw me, looked down at the band on Sasuke's wrist, and opened the fence door. “Go on in, kids. Enjoy the ride.”

He let me go in first, following slowly behind me.

“I like this white horse here,” I said, moving toward it. There was a black horse beside it. “She looks like my horse almost.”

Sighing slightly, he chose the black horse, climbing onto it quickly. “After the Pharaoh, do you want to ride the Music Express next?”

I nodded. “Yes, I like that ride.”

He glanced at me, nodding. “I know, you said you did. That's why I suggested it.”

The ride filled quickly, and I grabbed onto the reigns, instead of the bar. I was more used to using reigns.

“Seleh!” I heard from behind me. Turning to look back, I saw Sei riding on a dark brown horse behind me. She was holding onto the reigns with one hand, and waving at me with the other. “Hey!”

I grinned. “Hey! What's up?”

She pointed toward the palomino horse beside her, where a blond, blue-eyed boy sat, staring at the boy on the black horse beside me with a particular expression. “That's my new friend. His name's Naruto.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Sasuke jerk.

“He's from Konohagakure!”

Sasuke turned then, and his and Naruto's eyes met. He gave a short wave. “Hey, Naruto!”

“H-hi, Sasuke,” the blond said.

Sasuke turned, saw me looking at me. “He goes to the Academy with me.”

“Oh.” I glanced back at him, and saw him staring down at his horse. “Hey!” He looked up at me, and I smiled at him. “We're going on the Pharaoh next if you guys want to join us?”

He glanced at Sei, then Sasuke, then looked at me. “What's the Pharaoh?”

“It's fun,” Sasuke told him, looking back at him. “You should go on it.”

After a moment's hesitation, he nodded. “Y-yea, I'll go.”

“Awesome!” The ride started moving, and I faced forward again. But now, I was thinking about what Sasuke had said about this ride being boring, and I could see it. I turned back, holding onto the reigns to keep myself on as I leaned backward, and said, “Hey, what have you guys gone on so far?”

I got as far as, “Hey,” when I felt the reigns snap. I let out a small gasp, grasping at something, anything, to keep myself from falling-

Before I could move, I was shoved forward, and someone reached around me to grab onto the pole. “Man, you are not having any luck today, are you?” Sasuke asked me, grabbing the broken reigns with his free hand.

I took a deep breath, heart pounding.

“Seleh! A-are you okay?!” I heard Sei yell.

“What happened?!” Naruto echoed her.

“It's okay, I've got her!”

“The reigns snapped,” I told them.

To this, Sasuke went, “Hm.” A moment passed, and I glanced back to see his eyes narrowed, intense, on the reigns. “They didn't snap. They were cut by someone.”

I turned to look at the reigns, seeing the edge he was stroking with his thumb. “How do you know it was cut?”

He waited a moment before answering. “See the edge here? It's clean. Not frayed. Someone cut it, and with something sharp, too.”

“Why would someone cut it?”

When I looked back at him, he had a strange look in his eyes. A dark, curious look. “I don't know.” He reached around me to hold onto the pole with his other hand, too. “I'm going to check every ride we get on from here on out, before you get on it.”

Fifteen minutes passed quickly. Standing in the line to the Pharaoh, I couldn't keep my heart from hammering. Sasuke seemed calm, Naruto was quiet, and Sei wouldn't let go of my arm.

“I'll check this before we get on,” Sasuke reminded me, studying me closely, “So don't be scared.” He smiled then. “I've kept you safe so far, right?”

I nodded.

“Has this happened before?” Sei demanded, giving Sasuke a sharp look.

He glanced at me, and I shook my head. “No.”

She glared at him. “If you're lying-!”

“Sei, nothing happened.” She looked at me, and I smiled reassuringly. “Don't worry. Everything's fine. I'm in one piece, aren't I?”

“I suppose.”

The line was moving slower than the other two lines we'd been in. More people wanted to ride the Pharaoh than the Carousel or the Ferris Wheel, apparently. Why, I didn't know.

“I've never been on this before,” Naruto said, staring at the ride. “I've never been on any of these rides before.”

“None of them?” My eyes widened. “Have you ever been to a carnival before?”

He looked down, shaking his head. “No. I've never been able to go before.”

I blinked, not sure what he meant by that. “Well, while you're here, you should live it up. The Music Express is the best ride. You should go on that next with us.”

“I liked the Ferris Wheel,” he said, smiling slightly. “I've always wanted to go on that.”

I looked away at that, shuddering. “I don't like that ride.”

Sasuke reached up to touch my shoulder. “Seleh went on it with me, but she . . . didn't like it.”

“Seleh doesn't like heights.”

“She told me.”

We'd been steadily moving up toward the front of the line. It was our turn to go on next, and I quickly saw two unoccupied sections we could sit. Sasuke went in first, waving me back, as he checked both sections quickly. “They're safe!” he said, turning back toward me, smiling. “I tested them, too.”

I followed him into one spot, and Naruto and Sei went into the other. “Thanks for checking it,” I told him, sitting beside him.

He reached around me, fastening my seatbelt firmly, making sure it clicked before letting it go. “No problem,” he told me, flashing a small smile. “Just wanted to make sure it was on right.”

A few minutes passed as others filed onto the ride. Then the safety bar lowered, and I grabbed onto it with shaking hands. I wasn't looking forward to this. Not at all.

“It'll be okay,” he said, placing his hand lightly over mine. “Don't be scared. Everything's safe on here this time. I made sure of it.” He squeezed my hand. “I'm not going to let anything happen to you.”

“Hey, Seleh,” Sei said, looking back at me, smiling, “this ride is really fun. Don't be afraid.”

“What's to be scared of? Does it go upside down or something?” Naruto asked, looking back at Sasuke.

Sei laughed. “Yes, actually, it does!”

At that, I tensed, turning to look at Sasuke with wide eyes. “It-it goes . . . upside . . . d-down?”

He smiled slightly. “Just twice. Don't worry.”

Now my heart was most definitely pounding. The ride started to move, and I squealed a little, closing my eyes. “I-I don't like this!”

He slid his arm around my shoulders. “There. Now I have a hold on you. Does that make you feel better?”

“No, no, it-it doesn't!” I told him, before realizing I was lying. My eyes snapped open in surprise when I realized that, yes, it actually did make me feel better. Strangely enough.

“I've got you.”

I whimpered as the ride moved forward. It paused, about ten feet upward, then fell backward, and paused with us the same distance up. It moved back down, stopping higher up next time. My heart was pounding. My knuckles were stretched tight from how hard I was gripping the safety bar. “I-I want to get off.”

His arm tightened around me. “You'll be okay, I promise. It's not that scary!”

It went backward again, stopping even higher up than before. Somehow seeing it fall forward was scarier than _not_ seeing it fall.

It went higher, each time it fell. And the higher it went, the more my heart pounded. I clenched my eyes shut when it fell from about halfway up. A whimper fell from me. But the wind on my face actually felt nice, and it was less scary when I couldn't see it. It helped calm me a little when I realized that.

It went higher still, and I kept my eyes closed. The wind felt nice on my face, so it wasn't too bad. Until it didn't stop, and we ended up upside down, and paused. I gasped, eyes flying open, and Sasuke tightened his arm around my shoulders. I turned toward him, burying my face in his shoulder, and reaching out to grab his other arm, which he reached around me, so that I ended up grabbing onto his shirt instead. It fell backward, fast, and didn't paused again. Instead, it went straight in a circle, quickly, then went around again, stopping almost upside down, then going backward. It was slowing down, though, going less and less high, and I let go of his shirt, scooting a bit away.

He smiled at me. “See? It wasn't that bad, was it?”

Up until the upside down part, no. I told him that, ending with, “At least nothing went wrong on this one.”

He nodded. “I'll check the next ride we get on, too. And I'll keep checking every ride. Just in case.” He smiled. “Okay?”

I nodded. “Agreed.”

 

 

We rode for hours, until it started to get dark, until Voeli came to find us. Afterward, we were dragged back home to get ready for the stupid ball. Currently, I stared at the reflection in the mirror. The girl in the mirror that couldn't be me. That _shouldn't_ be me.

My hair had been brushed and pulled into a tight, elegant bun, with two, long, curled strands framing either side of my face. I was wearing a white, lacy, silk gown that fell to pool at my feet. Long sleeves that cinched in at my wrists had little round puffs at my shoulders. There was a high, lacy collar that forced me to keep my chin up, or be poked by it. It was white, and covered every inch of my skin, with the exception of my face and my hands.

From what I'd seen of my sisters' gowns, it matched theirs exactly.

A knock at my door made me jolt, turn toward it. “Yes?”

“Mama wants you downstairs now. Let's go. We don't have all day.”

Kadra's voice made my nerves stand up on end, but I turned away from the mirror and went toward the door that led to my bedroom from my closet. Kadra stood there, garbed in a long, shiny golden gown that made her golden skin and red-brown-gold hair stand out. Her bright blue eyes met mine coolly, and she turned away. “Come,” she said, gesturing forward. Her hands were covered my elbow-length matching gold gloves.

I followed her out into the hallway, seeing Seru and Sei waiting there for us. Seru grinned at me. “You two were hiding the entire time at the carnival. Did you make new friends? I did. Their names are Sakura and Ino. They're from Konohagakure.”

I glanced at Sei. “Everyone seems to be from that village. I wonder why there aren't as many kids from the other villages around?”

“From what I've heard, their village, and Sunogakure, they're the biggest. The others are smaller, and less people came from there,” Sei told me. “So more kids from those two villages than from anywhere else.”

I nodded, started to say something, but Kadra cut in with, “Hey, we don't have all day. Let's go. I'm bored of this.”

We followed her downstairs, into the grand hall, and through the west door, which led to a long hallway with reflective white walls and floors, and windows on the left wall. The hallway had silver glass and gilt doors at the end, which had two people on either side of them, ready to open to anyone who came near. We reached the doors, and they opened instantly. There were dozens of people moving around in the ballroom.

“Princess Kadra Waenshoare entering!” the man standing on the other side of the door announced us.

Kadra walked past him, head held high. She didn't spare a glance at the man who'd announced her presence.

“Princess Seruiave Waenshoare entering!”

Seru, on the other hand, smiled at him before walking further into the ballroom. Everyone had stopped, turning to watch us.

“Princess Seiva Waenshoare entering!”

Sei also gave him a small smile.

“Princess Selehevi Waenshoare entering!”

I went past him, giving him a nod and a smile. “I hate being announced,” I whispered to Sei and Seru once I caught up to them. The slippers I was wearing were slightly high-heeled, and annoying. They slowed me down. So did the long gown. I kept tripping on the thing.

A smiling face stood out to me in the crowd, and Sasuke made his way quickly toward me. He wore a black, long-sleeved formal jacket over a dark blue, high-collared shirt, and black bottoms. He reached me quickly, still smiling. “Hey. What took you so long? We've been here forever.”

I gestured to the dress I was wearing. “It takes forever to get all this crap on. Plus, my hair took forever, too.”

A small nod, and he held his hand out. “Everyone's dancing. Want to?”

I winced, hesitating. “I hate dancing.”

His smile grew. “Just this once.”

I took his hand. “Fine. Okay.” I let him lead me onto the dance floor, listening to the sweet, delicate sounds of the music. It was beautiful music, definitely. I loved it. But I hated what it meant—time to dance.

He pulled me in toward him, placing his hand at my waist, and holding my other hand out a bit.

I placed one hand right under his shoulder, and we positioned our right sides against each other. “When did you learn to dance?”

He smiled. “Shortly after receiving the invitation to come here. My brother taught me.” He stepped forward, I stepped back, and the dance began.

Letting him lead, I followed him, marveling at how easily he moved. I'd been taught to dance since I was old enough to walk, but he moved with an ease I did not have. I was . . . a little envious, actually.

He took me off guard, spinning me out and away from him, then back toward him, smiling at my shock. “Sorry, I saw everyone else doing it, so I figured it would be fun to try.”

I stared at him, eyes a little wide. A few minutes passed as we danced, then he stepped to the side, and bent me back over his arm. I gasped, eyes widening again, and he paused like that, smiling, before pulling me back up.

“It's kind of fun, actually!”

I blinked at him, then smiled. “Y-yea. I guess it is.” I laughed this time when he spun me out and away, then gracefully spun back into him myself.

Er, well, I wish I could say _gracefully._ What really happened is I tried to be graceful, then tripped over my gown, but he quickly pulled me back toward him before I fell.

“I got you,” he said, smiling again. “You're kinda clumsy, aren't you?”

“I'm wearing heels, and a dress! _You_ try being graceful in that!”

He laughed. “I don't think I'd look half as pretty as you do in that dress.”

I blushed at that, staring at him. _P-pretty?_

The music ended suddenly. A few seconds passed, and we pulled away from each other. “That was fun,” he told me.

 _Someone's staring at me._ I looked around quickly, spying a set of blue eyes glaring angrily at me. The blue eyes belonged to a girl with short pale blond hair, who wore a light purple gown with flowery embroidery on it, and long sleeves. “Why's she glaring at me?”

“Hm? Who?” He turned, following my gaze, and I saw his shoulders fall before he turned back. “Oh, it's just Ino. She . . . likes me, or something like that.”

I stared at him. “What? That's weird. Why?”

He laughed. “I don't know. She's not the only one though.”

“That's weird.”

“It's not _that_ weird!”

I opened my mouth to reply, and, “Good evening, everyone. I hope your night is going well, and I hope that you enjoyed the carnival. I'm sure the kids really liked it. If you'll excuse the interruption, I have a few announcements to make. First, I'd like to welcome you to our village. I hope you enjoy everything we have to offer. I'm sure the kids have!” There were a few laughs at that. “Before I make that first announcement, can my daughter, Kadra Waenshoare come to the stage?”

Beaming brightly, Kadra made her way to the stage, standing proudly beside Mama.

“And Kankuro, please come up?”

A boy with dark brown brown hair made his way to the stage. He stood silently beside Kadra. He looked solemn.

“I have a very exciting announcement for Kadra and Kankuro. Tonight, we celebrate the signing of the betrothal between Kankuro and my oldest daughter, Kadra!”

Kadra, still smiling, bowed as everyone burst into applause.

“Step back, you two,” Mama told them quickly. Once they had, she turned back to the crowd. “Seiva Waenshoare, please come up to the stage?”

My mom was standing on the slightly upraised stage, next to the orchestra that played there. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Seiva moving away from Naruto—who wore a simple black suit—and make her way to the stage, looking a bit unsure.

“Also, can I have Ukyo Akamoto come to the stage please?”

A few seconds passed, and a boy with sandy brown hair joined them up on the stage. He seemed excited.

“I have an exciting announcement for Seiva and Ukyo! Tonight is the night we finalize and announce their betrothal!”

Murmurs broke out across the room, and I saw Seiva's smile slip, then fall entirely, and she turned to stare at Ukyo in horror.

I, too, turned my eyes toward him, feeling my own horror build up. “W-what? No! She doesn't even _know_ him!” I hissed.

A roar of applause broke out from several people, people I assumed to be Ukyo's family. The applause spread, and soon everyone was clapping—everyone but me, Seiva, and Seruiave. Even Sasuke clapped—until he saw me not clapping, then he stopped.

“Stand back, you two, please,” Mama told them, and Seiva and the boy stepped back. The boy was grinning. Seiva was staring at the floor with the same horrified look.

“Now, would Seruiave Waenshoare step up to the stage, please?”

Seru hesitated, glancing toward me with wide, pale blue eyes. After hearing Mama beckoning to her once more, she turned away and went to the stage.

“And please, have Takashi Hamamoto come up.”

A boy with blond hair made his way up, toward Seru. He, also, was smiling when he reached the stage.

“Please offer your congratulations to Seruiave and Takashi. They, also, have been joined in a betrothal.”

I felt a sinking feeling in my gut. “Oh, no. . . .”

Sasuke reached up, touching my shoulder.

“And last, but certainly not least, Selehevi Waenshoare, please join us here on stage.”

I froze, trying to swallow around the lump that had risen in my throat. A sick feeling started in my gut, and I could feel the beginning of a migraine. “I don't want to do this,” I whispered to Sasuke.

“It'll be okay.”

“Selehevi Waenshoare, please come up now.” She scanned the crowd quickly, eyes locking onto me. “Come up here.”

Moving with slow, jerky movements, I slowly made my way up toward the stage, tripping twice on my long gown. Once beside Mama, I tensely waited, still trying to swallow the lump in my throat. My heart was pounding. I could feel myself getting dizzy. _No, no, no, no. Absolutely not. No. Please no._

She gave me a harsh look, then turned out toward the crowd. “Please welcome Sasuke Uchiha to the stage!”

My wide eyes fell to him, and I felt my chest tighten.

He smiled at me, then made his way quickly to the stage, standing beside me to grab my hand, squeezing my hand when I didn't react. He glanced at me. “Se?”

I waited tensely for the words I knew were coming from my mom. My heart felt like it had frozen, and all the blood in my veins seemed like it had come to a stop. I couldn't breathe, like ice had settled in my lungs. I was cold, shaking.

And she said, “This is also the night the betrothal of Sasuke and Selehevi has been finalized! Please, offer your congratulations to them. This is a night of celebration, so we shall celebrate tonight!”

I could feel eyes on me again. Looking down into the crowd, searching for the person glaring at me, I saw several girls glaring at me. Two stood out most. A blond girl, and a pink-haired girl who stood right beside her. I stared back at them defiantly, wanting to yell out at them, to tell them if they wanted to trade places with me, then step up now.

But when I opened my mouth, nothing came out. I felt powerless. I felt as though every choice I could make was stolen from me. I turned toward the boy standing next to me. “D-did you know . . . ?”

He looked at me, still smiling. “I heard my mom and dad talking about it on our way here.”

I pulled my hand from his. “And you didn't think to tell me?”

His eyes widened, and the smile fell. He could hear the accusation in my voice. “I-I thought you knew.”

“And you, you're okay with this?” I demanded.

He nodded. “I heard them talking about creating a truce, peace between our villages. And, I dunno, the way my brother made it sound, it sounded like a good thing.” He smiled again, slightly. “And I want to do what's best for my Clan. If this is what my parents want,” he looked off, toward something—I assumed his family, “then that's what I'm going to do. My loyalty lies with my people. No matter what.”

I felt betrayed. “Is that . . . is that why you hung out with me?”

He turned back toward me, eyes a little wide. “What? No! I hung out with you because-!”

“Because you wanted to trick me into liking you, so I would be okay with all this? So I wouldn't fight it?”

“Seleh-!”

“Mama, I don't want this!”

“Keep your voice down.”

I glared at her, then at Sasuke, who'd taken a step back and was staring at me with wide, bewildered eyes. “You? Stay away from me!” With that, I whirled, and ran toward the crowd, toward the double glass doors that led to the courtyard.

 _This is not happening. Not if I have anything to say about it!_ And I'd never been more sure of anything in my life.

 


	3. Set It All Free

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Look, it’s not my fault, okay? It’s not like I asked to be betrothed to you! So instead of glaring at me, and ignoring me, maybe you should work on trying to get along with me. Whatever you or I do, it has little to do with any of this. This is our parents’ choosing—we can’t change that. So why can’t we just be friends? In a perfect world, it would be up to you, but we don’t live in that world. We live in a world governed by peace and politics and in order to keep that peace, certain measures must be taken. If marrying you guarantees peace between our villages, I’m willing to do that—I’m willing to save my people. You’re a princess, why aren’t you willing to save your people?”
> 
> That silenced me for a moment. My heart was pounding. I felt like I was about to cry. “I don’t want to be married.”
> 
> “Well, sorry to tell you, but you can’t have everything you want.” He sighed. “I’m sorry, I know this sucks—don’t you think I feel the same way? I do. But this is the world we live in. Sometimes people have to do what they have to do to protect the people closest to them. If marrying you means I can have a hand in protecting the peace—protecting my family—I am going to do that.”

I followed my heart into the fire  
Got burned, got broken down by desire  
I tried, I tried  
But the smoke in my eyes  
Left me blurry, blurry and blind  
  
I picked all the pieces up off the ground  
Got dirt on my fingers but that's gone now  
Got the glue in my hands  
And stickin' to the plan  
Stickin' to the plan that says, I can...  
  
Do anything at all  
I can do anything at all  
  
This is my kiss goodbye  
You can stand alone and watch me fly  
'Cause nothing's keeping me down  
Gonna let it all out  
Come on and say right now, right now, right now  
This is my big "Hello"  
'Cause I'm here and never letting go  
I can finally see,  
It's not just a dream  
When you set it all free, all free, all free  
  
You set it all free

 

 

 

I burst through the glass double doors that led into the courtyard at full speed, not stopping when I tripped on my gown. Fury and panic taking root in me, I continued to run as fast as I could. 

Through the huge, sleepy courtyard, toward the horse pasture, where I knew I could escape.

Then my foot tangled in the long gown I wore. My breath caught in my throat as I fell forward. I felt like I would choke. Somehow I'd managed to catch myself with my hands. My knees hit hard, and I worried about the state of the gown instantly, but that thought vanished as soon as it had come, replaced instead by a violent, angry panic that made me feel like I was suffocating. 

Letting out a small, gasping sob, I punched the ground hard with both hands, feeling my eyes burn as they overflowed. “No,” I gasped, hitting the ground again. “No!” I hit the ground again, and again, and then again, and then once more, until there were two nice indents. 

“Are-are you okay?” 

The voice made me jump, and I looked upward. A boy stood there, pale teal, black-rimmed eyes and crimson hair. He stood off a bit, shifting from foot to foot. “I-I didn't hear you come up.” 

“You ran up to me.” 

My face flushed. I wiped at my eyes. “S-Sorry!” 

“Why are you crying?”

I glared down at the ground. “I just found out I'm s'posed to marry some stupid boy! I don't want to get married!”

“My brother is supposed to marry your sister. He wasn't very happy about it, either.” He stepped closer to me, holding his hand down. “H-here.”

I took his hand, and he helped me to my feet. “Which brother?” 

“My brother is Kankuro.”

I winced. “I'm sorry for your brother. Kadra is horrible!”

“She can't be that bad, can she?”

I nodded. “She's really, really mean.” I glanced back toward the ball. “Hey, since you're out here, that must mean you don't want to be at the ball. Wanna escape with me?”

“You want . . . t-to escape with me?”

I nodded. “Definitely.”

He nodded, smiling then. “Then yea! But how would we get out?”

“We just have to make it to the pasture. We can take the horses out.”

Vaguely, I could hear someone yell something. I paused, tensing. Then I heard it again.

Louder. “Se! Seleh!” 

I knew that voice. Sasuke. Turning, I could see him running toward me. “Hey, Se! Can-can we talk?” he asked, stopping a few feet away, shifting his weight.

I glared at him. “No way! You lied to me and tried to trick me! I don't want anything to do with you—definitely don't want to marry you!”

He tensed, drawing back slightly, then looked over at the redheaded boy, then back to me. “So what, you're just gonna run away?”

I nodded. “Yea! And you can't stop me!” 

“I wouldn't stop you. But I wanna come with you.”

I shook my head. “So you can trick me into liking you more?! No way!”

He drew back again. “I-I didn't trick you. Friends don't trick friends.”

“You aren't my friend! I don't want anything to do with you, so just go away! I won't marry you! Not ever!” I turned toward the redhead. “Come on, let's go. I'll show you a really cool place.”

“Seleh-!” I turned my head to look back at him just in time to see sand shove him back. He landed on his butt, glaring at the redhead. “You stay out of this! It’s got nothing to do with you!”

I looked at the redhead. His hand was outstretched. “You won't hurt her!”

“I wasn’t gonna-!”

“Let's go, quickly. Before anyone sees us!” I ran to him, grabbing his hand. “Quickly!” 

“I won't let you-ah!” I didn't turn to see what the sand had done that time. I merely kept running, dragging the redhead toward the horse pasture. “We’ll have lots of fun. I'll show you the Dragon Cave! You'll love it.” 

“Dragon Cave?” he asked. “What's that?”

“It’s a cave that legend says used to have dragons in it.”

“D-Dragons?”

“Wanna see if we can find some dragons?” I grinned back at him.

He nodded, smiling back. “Y-yes! I would like that.”

“By the way, thank you for your help. What's your name, anyway?”

“Oh, me? I-I'm Gaara. Of the desert.”

 

 

“I should've grabbed a flashlight,” I lamented, staring down at my hands. “Can you see?” I could see, but I didn't know if he could. It was really, really dark.

“I can see, a little.”

I wasn’t entirely sure how deep we’d gone into the cave, but it was really dark. No dragons though. Not yet. Not that I really expected to see any. If there were any dragons, they'd probably be really good at hiding.

“I hope the horses are still there when we get back,” Gaara said softly.

I smiled. “Sea Watcher is Papa's horse. He's really well trained. And Leaf Charmer is my brother’s horse. He's just as well trained. They'll wait for us.”

“If I had a horse, I don't know what I’d name it, but hopefully something as cool as Sea Watcher!”

I glanced back at him. “We have lots of horses. I could talk Papa into giving you one. Would you like that?”

I heard his breath catch. “Yes! But . . . would it be okay, in the desert?”

“I'd have to ask Papa. If not, you could just keep it here and visit all the time. I'd like that!”

“Me too. I-I like it here. Even if it is kinda cold.”

“Oh, right! I bet you’re used to it being really, really hot, huh? This must be really cold to you.”

A slight nod. “It is cold, but I'm alright.”

I heard something, vaguely. A voice, then another one. Two voices. I stopped, tensing, and Gaara stopped, looking at me. “Did you hear that, too?”

A nod. “Yes, I heard that.” He knelt. “Give me one second,” he said, placing his hand on the ground, eyes closing. Sand swirled up and around him, and I felt my interest peak. He stayed like that for a bit, maybe a minute or more, then straightened, eyes opening. “Two people are coming this way. That boy from before, and an older boy who looks kinda like him.”

My eyes narrowed, and I quickly looked around the dark cave. “There’s a little opening up there. If we climb up into it, they might not find us.”

He shrugged slightly. “Worth a shot!” he said, moving toward the little hole I was pointing toward.

I climbed up into the hole first, then he followed, staying near the opening to watch. “Don’t stay too close, they might see you.”

He glanced back at me, then scooted back a few inches.

Voices approached, slowly. I couldn’t hear them well enough to understand what they were saying at first. I could hear a few words, like “here,” and “she went,” and “over there.” But nothing much, until they came closer.

Then the voices paused a moment. “No more tracks,” I heard an older voice say, way too close to our opening. “They must’ve known we were coming.”

“I don’t see any more tracks. . . .”

“Look closer, Nii-Chan. You can find them.”

A pause. “You know where they are already, don’t you?” Those words sent a chill down my spine, and both Gaara and I backed further into the little cave.

“Just look closer.”

Scuffling sounds, a grunt, then, a moment later, black eyes peered into our hiding place. “I found’em!”

“Good job. I told you, you could do it.” Over his head, I could see an older boy peering in at us. “Your father is looking for you, Selehevi. I think it would be best if you returned with us.”

I glared at the younger boy. “You told Papa on me, didn’t you?”

His eyes widened. He shook his head. “No, I didn’t, I swear!”

“Yea, whatever. . . . Move, so we can get out.”

He dropped down, and Gaara climbed down first. I hesitated, and a platform of sand formed right under the opening. “Get on that, and it’ll bring you down.”

I climbed onto the platform, letting it slowly lower me onto the ground. “Thanks for the help.”

“Let’s get going. Your father is worried.” The older boy turned and began leading the way out.

I reluctantly followed him, and Sasuke fell into step beside me. “I’m glad we found you. It’s dark in here, and huge. You could’ve been lost, or hurt.”

I lifted my chin higher, ignoring him, and turned toward Gaara. “I enjoyed our little escapade, even if we didn’t get to do much. Did you?”

He nodded, smiling slightly at me. “I-I really had fun! Can we come back tomorrow?”

“Yea, I would-!”

“Sorry, Selehevi, but it would appear your parents have plans for you tomorrow. It doesn’t look as though you will have time to return here.”

Gaara frowned, looking down at the ground.

“However, I did hear that one of the plans has to do with all the children getting to ride horses.”

He looked up at that, eyes widening, a slight smile on his face. “I-I get to ride a horse, too?”

“All the children do, from what I heard.”

“I like riding,” he said, “even if saddling them is a little hard.”

“The saddling part will get easier the more you do it. Just remember, you want it to be tight enough that you won’t slide off!”

“But not so tight the horse can’t breathe!” he added.

I nodded. “Exactly.”

“I’ve never ridden a horse, either,” Sasuke said, “not until now, when we rode horses to come get you guys.”

Ignoring him again, I turned toward Gaara. “Hey, do you wanna watch movies with me when we get back? We have some really good ones.”

He beamed. “That sounds like a lot of fun!”

A few more minutes of talking, ignoring the stupid black-haired kid, and we reached the place our horses were waiting. The mouth of the cave had jagged, sharp rocks that came down from the top. They reminded me of teeth. I always thought the Dragon Cave was named after the fact that it looked like the head of a Dragon. It even had bottom teeth—rocks that rose from the bottom of the cave toward the top, ending in points.

The older boy stopped, turning toward us. “Does anyone need help getting on their horse?”

Without answer, I strode toward Leaf Charmer, and quickly climbed into the saddle. Gaara did the same, and when he was on Sea Watcher, I grinned at him. “See? You’re an expert already!”

The other two quickly mounted their horses, and the older boy began leading us back again.

The ride back was more silent, because I knew as soon as Mama saw me, she would be angry. My white gown was dirty and torn, but I felt better now. The ruining of my gown was, to me, an act of rebellion. She would be very angry at me.

The palace grounds came into view, and we rode the horses toward the barn. It was made of a white wood, huge, almost as big as the palace itself. After releasing, brushing, feeding, and unsaddling the horses, we made our way toward the palace. And every step I took, I felt more like a prisoner again.

My freedom, which had lasted such a short while, felt like it had suddenly been taken from me. I could feel the chains that attached me to my fate—the fate that was tied in with that stupid, annoying, pesky Uchiha kid.

He hadn’t said anything to me since we’d gotten back to the palace grounds—probably because I kept glaring at him any time he looked at me.

We were led back to the ballroom, where the older boy stopped, turned to look at me, and said, “If I were you, I’d run to my room and change before your mother sees you.”

I nodded, and instantly turned to bolt down the long hallway, back to my room, but before I could get more than a couple steps away, he spoke again.

“Sasuke, go with her to make sure she doesn’t run away again.”

I froze for a moment, then bolted. I could hear an extra pair of footsteps following me as I made my way back to my room.  _I hate him,_ I realized.  _I really hate him._ Stopping at my bedroom door, I turned toward him, glared at him, and said, “You’re going to stay out here! I don’t want you-!”

“Look, it’s not my fault, okay? It’s not like I  _asked_ to be betrothed to you! So instead of glaring at me, and ignoring me, maybe you should work on trying to get along with me. Whatever you or I do, it has little to do with any of this. This is our parents’ choosing—we can’t change that. So why can’t we just be friends?”

I glared at him. “I don’t want to be friends with you.”

“We were friends before you found out. Why does that have to change?”

“Because-because you’re stealing my life from me!”

“It’s not my fault! And nobody’s stealing your life!”

“I don’t want to get married—not now, not ever. That should be up to me—nobody else!”

“In a perfect world, it would be up to you, but we don’t live in that world. We live in a world governed by peace and politics and in order to  _keep_ that peace, certain measures must be taken. If marrying you guarantees peace between our villages, I’m willing to do that—I’m willing to save my people. You’re a princess, why aren’t you willing to save  _your_ people?”

That silenced me for a moment. My heart was pounding. I felt like I was about to cry. “I don’t want to be married.”

“Well, sorry to tell you, but you can’t have everything you want.” He sighed. “I’m sorry, I know this sucks—don’t you think I feel the same way? I do. But this is the world we live in. Sometimes people have to do what they have to do to protect the people closest to them. If marrying you means I can have a hand in protecting the peace—protecting my family—I am going to do that.”

“But we’ll never be happy this way. I’ll never-!”

“We don’t know that. You don’t know that.” He sighed again. “How about if I promise you that if I ever have the power to, I will let you out of the marriage. If ever I have that ability, if I can ever free you to a life of your choosing, I will do that. But for now, it’s not up to me. So . . . can we make peace with that?”

I stared at him, eyes boring into his. “You swear it? You  _swear_ you won’t make me marry you?”

“If I can, I will set you free.” He held his hand out. “But until then, don’t treat me like I’m the enemy, because I’m not.”

I glared then. “I’m still not going to like you.”

“Fair enough—just don’t hate me anymore.”

I took his hand. “Okay. . . . Deal.”

 


End file.
